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Randy Crawford’s new job as Marion County Road and Bridge Superintendent solves a longstanding dilemma for the Hillsboro resident. He wanted to see more of his children’s activities, but work interfered.

“I was on the road quite a bit with a construction company,” he said Thursday.

When he saw the position became available with Jim Herzet’s resignation at the end of June, he thought it would be a good opportunity to employ his skills closer to home.

“I like to work with people,” Crawford said. “I’m looking forward to serving the public, the people of Marion County.”

Crawford has experience both with road and bridge work and with leadership.

“I’ve been around the construction industry for 23 years,” he said.

His work has included road and bridge construction and demolition, dirt work, bidding, and other aspects of the business. He notably worked on demolishing an overpass over I-70 near Hays after a semitruck drove a too-tall load into the overpass. The equipment on the trailer cut through three-fourths of the thickness of the overpass “like a hot knife through butter.” He also worked on a road project at the north edge of El Dorado that cost several million dollars, he said.

His work included supervising workers, but his leadership experience began before working in construction. Crawford served in the Marine Corps. When he was 20 years old, he supervised 32 other Marines at the White House, an assignment that would ordinarily have been above his rank. Afterward, he served in the Persian Gulf as a machine gun team leader.

“I do my best to work with people and try to get everyone to work as a team,” Crawford said.

His goals include completing projects on time and with the expected level of quality.